The construction of a new multi-million dinar cardiology centre in Awali, Bahrain, is set to begin within the next six weeks.

The seven-storey complex will be associated with the existing Mohammed bin Khalifa Cardiac Centre at the BDF Hospital in Riffa and will feature 150 beds, operating theatres, an emergency unit and laboratories, among other facilities, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

It is due to open in early 2018, as stipulated by the contract that was signed yesterday by Supreme Council for Health chairman and Minister of State for Defence Affairs Lieutenant General Dr Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdulla Al Khalifa with Mohamed Abdulmohsin Al Kharafi and Sons Company.

The centre will be built on a 44,000-sq-m plot of land at a cost of BD40.3 million ($106.2 million), with BD16 million allocated to provide medical equipment and other furniture.

It was designed by British multinational engineering, design, project management and consulting service company Atkins in line with global healthcare standards.

Dr Shaikh Mohammed said the project addressed the increasing need for an expansion to the existing centre.

“The project is considered a great leap in diagnosing and treating heart diseases in Bahrain,” he said in a statement issued yesterday.

"It addresses the need to expand the current centre, which already serves many patients in  and outside Bahrain and provides special medical and administrative services and treatments.

“It is considered one of the vital projects, which is being planned and executed under direct supervision of the BDF General Command,” he added

Dr Shaikh Mohammed also praised the role of the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development which helped finance and support the project. - TradeArabia News Service